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Knollwood Club, Lake Forest, IL – 3D Imaging

Knollwood Club – Lake Forest, IL

I’m currently working out a few hiccups with something new, but this is the start of something I plan on dong more of. Aerials provide a great overview of a golf course from above. What they don’t do is show any elevation changes that occur within the golf course. This new imaging method is still in early testing for me, but so far the feedback has been positive.
 
Charles Alison designed the Knollwood Club located near Lake Forest, Illinois. The golf course has gone through a variety of renovations and restorations over time.  Two areas that are on the opposite ends of the spectrum are the 16th  green and 17th hole. The 16th green has seen a few changes, but the 17th hole, the redan, has stayed true to its original design.  
 
If you’re interested in more examples of redan holes, Andy at the fried egg provides photos and analysis here: Redan Holes. 
 
For reference, the 16th Green is on the top left of the image and the 17th Hole is near the center of the image.

 

2010 Aerial Image
2010 Aerial Image

Aerial Comparisons:

Below are a few image comparison aerials showing the progression of the two holes. While these images do not tell the complete story, they show some of the changes that one hole has gone through.

1939 to 2000 Aerial

 

2000 Aerial to 2010 Aerial

For reference, the 2010 aerial is the color image in the second slider comparison.  The aerials used are from Lake County, IL, the USGS and the Illinois Geological Survey.

Redan Grading

The next three images show the grading of the 17th green. The contours and grading used to direct the ball towards the left part of the green. The first two images use 1-foot contours to depict the slope of the green. The third image uses 1/2 foot contours to show extra detail.

17th Green – with 1-ft contours
17th Green – with 1-ft contour
17th Hole Grading – 1/2 foot contours

3D Images

Below is the new stuff I’ve been working on.  The first image is the current 16th green and the second image is the 17th Hole as it stands today. The 3D viewers are interactive so please click on the image, and look at the shape of both green complexes.
 
Depending on your connection it may take an extra second or two to load.

 

16th Green –

17th Hole –

As always, thanks for stopping by and feel free to ask any questions.

 

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LuLu Country Club – 1950 – 2015

Designed by Donald Ross in the early 1910’s, LuLu Country Club, located in Glenside, PA is currently going through a restoration to bring back the original design.  If you follow the LuLu Country Club twitter feed you have had the opportunity to keep up with the restoration.

LuLu Country Club – 2015

Similar to my other Philadelphia Golf Course aerial photos, this historic image was taken in 1950 (Black and White, USGS). The color aerial is a more recent image acquired in 2015 (ESRI).

Comparing the two aerials, it’s very easy to see that the golf course has  gone through changes in the last 65 years. Bunkers have moved, trees have grown in, greens have changed shape and fairways are a little different.  The color aerial is from 2015 and after looking through the twitter feed, its unclear how up to date it is.

If you haven’t seen what takes place during a restoration, take some time and scroll through the twitter feed. This is one of those projects that covers drainage improvements to tree removal and everything in-between.

My other Philadelphia area Golf Course historic aerials, can be found here:

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club

Philadelphia Cricket Club

Merion Golf Club – East Course

Pine Valley Golf Club

 

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Pine Valley Golf Club – 1950 – 2015

Pine Valley Golf Club is well-known by all.  Located in Pine Valley, New Jersey, it is often ranked number one in the nation by larger golf publications.

Pine Valley Golf Club – 2015

The course opened in 1914 and was designed by George Crump with a collection of other architects including Colt, Alison, Tillinghast and Maxwell. Similar to my other Philadelphia Golf Course aerial photos, this historic image was taken in 1950 (Black and White, USGS). The color aerial is a more recent image acquired in 2015 (ESRI).

Looking at the aerials, its easy to tell the course has remained loyal to the original design. Many of the sand valleys have changed shape a bit over the years and filled in with trees and other vegetation.  Without getting a more detailed aerial, its hard to determine if many of the greens have remained unchanged.

Take a look for yourself:

Feel like catching up on the other Philadelphia Courses I looked at? They can be found here:

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club

Philadelphia Cricket Club

Merion Golf Club – East Course

LuLu Country Club

 

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Merion Golf Club – East Course – 1950 – 2015

Designed by Hugh Wilson and opened in 1912, the East Course of Merion Golf Club has had quite the history having been the home to multiple USGA championships.

The Golf Club is located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Merion Golf Club – East Course – 2015

Similar to my other Philadelphia Golf Course aerial photos, this historic image was taken in 1950 (Black and White, USGS).  The color aerial is a more recent image acquired in 2015 (ESRI).

Comparing the two aerials, it’s very easy to see that the golf course has remained consistent over the last 65 years and with minimal differences between the two. Many of the bunkers remain in their original location with only a few added.

If you have missed my other two Philadelphia area Golf Course historic aerials, they can be found here:

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club

Philadelphia Cricket Club

Pine Valley Golf Club

LuLu Country Club

Thanks for stopping by!

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Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon) – 1950 – 2015

Located in Flourtown, Pennsylvania and designed by A.W. Tillinghast in the 1920’s.

Philadelphia Cricket Club – 2015

The aerial photos compare 1950 (Black and White, USGS) and 2015 (Color,  ESRI). I believe the 2015 photo is post renovation completed by Keith Foster in 2014.

Similar to Manufacturers’ Golf Club many of the changes include:

  • Tree removal along several of the fairways
  • Bunkers being added, moved and removed
  • Increase to the width of several fairways

Take a look for yourself and don’t hesitate to comment.

In case you missed my other Philadelphia area golf course aerial comparisons, you can find them here:

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club

Merion Golf Club – East Course

Pine Valley Golf Club

LuLu Country Club

Thanks for stopping in.

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Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club – 1950 – 2015

I had no idea what Philadelphia golf was like until I came up with the idea to do a series that focused on a few of the golf courses in the area.  After looking at several of the courses, it became evident to me that some of the best golf courses in the nation, might be located in and around Philadelphia.

Andy at the fried egg provides a great summary to the history of Manufactures’ Golf and Country club in addition to photos that put you on the golf course.  His write-up, with on course photos, from 2016 can be found here.

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club is located outside of Philadelphia in the suburb of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Before looking at the shot by shot photos, I wasn’t aware of the elevation that came with the course.

Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club – 2015 (Photo Credit to ESRI)

Continue reading “Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club – 1950 – 2015”

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Shinnecock Hills Golf Club – 1954 to 2016

I first looked at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club when I developed topography  using available Lidar data points.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club Aerial

This time around I want to show how the course has changed and not changed from 1954 to 2016 by comparing aerials from both time periods.

Below is an image comparison of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. The slider all the way to the left on the images shows 1954 aerial and to the right, a more current, 2016 aerial.

The 1954 aerial might be one of the better aerial images I can find for Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Things that stuck out to me when comparing the two images is how the course has lengthened over time and some of the trees were converted into a native, open area. Those of you with a more keen eye on architecture and golf course restoration may be able to notice some of the other subtle changes that have occurred.

Shinnecock Hills

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to check out some of my other aerial comparisons.

 

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Golf Course Flooding – Before, During and After

2017 was a record year for flooding. Not only locally but throughout the country.  Hurricanes battered coastal areas and areas inland seemed to trap rain and surge water for what seemed like weeks

July 2017 Rainfall Event – Northeast Illinois

The July 2017 rainfall event that came through a portion of Lake County, Illinois, was one for the ages.   Rainfall depths in some of the areas of the county reached 6+ inches in approximately 12-hours and water surface elevations of waterways reached levels that had never been seen before.

Photos of flooded fairways and greens  located along the Skokie River in Lake County popped up through email and twitter. For some background of the area, during the early 1900s the low-lying land adjacent to rivers and waterways were prime locations to construct golf courses. How prime?  There are approximately 11 golf courses built adjacent to the 13 miles of the Skokie River.

Bob O’Link Golf Club

The location of Bob O’ Link golf course is unique.  Located near southern boundary of Lake County it is divided by the Skokie River.  The tributary area is approximately 20 square miles with 85% developed with residential, commercial and industrial facilities. The long and narrow shaped watershed allows stormwater to fill streams and sewers quickly, resulting it flash flooding.

These flash flood events produce a devastating amount of damage to residential and commercial structures, they also recede quickly and get back within the banks in a relatively short time period.  For example, by the time the Skokie River had reached peak water surface elevations and returned to its banks, many of the larger waterways in the county were still days away from reaching its peak, let alone recede.

Prior to Flood Event:

Bob O’Link Golf Club

Continue reading “Golf Course Flooding – Before, During and After”

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The Country Club – Brookline, MA

I found this 1938 aerial of The Country Club. At the time of this photo the club was nearly 50 years old so I am unsure if this is how the course was originally routed or if there had been some modification to the routing prior to the date on the photo.

One of the things that stuck out in the 1938 photo is the multi use of what I assume is the polo fields and a few golf holes. Also obvious over the last 70-80 years is the expansion of the existing ponds, changes to some of the bunkers and some fairways were narrowed.

Below is a comparison of the 1938 to 2016. I was able to line these up almost perfectly to make the comparison a little easier. The black and white photo is the 1938 aerial and the color photo is the 2016 aerial.

Take a look for yourself and let me know if you see anything else.

After looking at the The Country Club, I may take a deeper dive into the topography if the data is available.